guardian angels

just a short beautiful story that i happened to come across on the net :)

A young university student was home for the summer.

She had gone to visit some friends one evening and time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year.

She ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn't afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away.

As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane asked "God" to keep her safe from harm and danger.

When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it.

However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her.

She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for "God's" protection.

Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.

When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there.

Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep.

Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story.

The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him.

She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before.

When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.

The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her.

She asked if they would ask the man one question.

Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her.

When the policeman asked him, he answered, "Because she wasn't alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her."

a different perspective

im glad that life is back to normal now that most of my projects have been completed and submitted, leaving me a couple of tests left to worry about, but yet still well managable. today was a day off from school due to e-learning. decided to use it to catch up with a good rest and just... doing my own things. studied in the morning, afternoon with her, evening at the gym (FINALLY) and returned home when i had the sudden urge to rearrange the furniture in my room to give it a new look, not forgetting tidying it up which was supposed to have been done ages ago. heh. i like it now. more space, cosier and less dust (or at least i think so) [=

being humans, its hard for many of us to really stay contented with what we already have. we yearn for something or someone so much, and when we finally get it, we expect more soon after. human instinct or result of societal pressure? i cant deny not being part of it. but as i lie on my comfy and warm bed just having filled my stomach with that light yummy supper, watching the news headlines flash across on channel newsasia; civil war in iraq, heatwave claiming more lives in europe, middle east violence, north korea nuclear crisis, typhoon kaemi in china, war in lebanon, fierce riots in thailand, tsunami in indonesia... i thought to myself about how fortunate i am all these while. and i asked God, 'what more can i really ask for?'

12 years later

a little boredom led me to an activity that turned out a pleasant surprise. having nothing else better to do, i decided to type the names of my k2 classmates found in the above picture in friendster and well guess what. i actually found afew of them, who in turned found afew others and hah, half the class has been found. imagine that, good old friends whom you though you have lost forever suddenly popping up to you looking 12 years older. thats something that means alot to me. heh, seems like friendster is useful after all isnt it? (:

reunion

the funny little thing about life is that often when we were young, we much wanted to be adults quickly, in the sense being matured and joining the elders in their social activities and conversations. and ironically being young adults at this point, who would deny having the desire to be young again, when play was all it was and everyday was a tiny new adventure through the obstacles at the playground after school.

we had a sec4 class reunion/ evening picnic at the botanical gardens today. though not the entire class were present, majority did. there were food, drinks, games, laughter and not forgetting a great deal to catch up on with one another. having a nice green grass spot to sit on in the centre of the big field with the scent of nature carried by the wind blowing pass my face while watching the rest engrossed in their game of Captain's Ball was a nice little time to have alone thinking about well, what else but - life itself. many of the friends i met today were those i have not seen since the O level papers. gladly, all of us have changed for the better indeed, though no doubt the playful kid might still stay within us. as i watched the game being played, i couldnt help but marveled at just how much all of have changed one way or another since our last Captain's Ball match about exactly a year ago during the interclass games where we played our hearts out. unexpectly, some now being attached, some having finally accepted christ and some simply more matured than before. amusing how society is able to gloom a person :) i wondered what surprises might be next. how much more can one really become? how will we see each other in the near future? doctors, businessmen, pastors, engineers, soliders...? maybe we'll even see each other's partners the next reunion. who knows, in a matter of time, we'll bring along kids of our own. hahas.

the truth is, thats life. once it passes, its not going back. now thats really another reason why every moment of life should be cherished, embracing both the ups and downs of life and relationships with friends and loved ones.

as we ate, we shared about school, results, the norms in each of our own schools, bgr and interestingly, national service, which's only a year away for the guys in jc and a couple for those in poly. from boys to men, thats something exciting to look forward to :)

we arrived, and we departed. the time we had, i thank God for.

why france?

as the workload and stress levels from school begins to pile up, so does the efforts of adapting to such. the late nights and 'long' consultations after school contributing to quite an extent. if theres a need to chiong, now would definitely be a good time to. interestingly, its a matter of 'when the going goes tough, the tough gets going'.

so the world cup finals came to an end in dismay for many such as me. yes, france's out and her captain having been red carded though ironically awarded the golden ball. sheeessh. in any case, it was altogether a beautiful game and wonderful time spent with friends through the late nights with a constant supply of food and drinks and screams to wake the neighbours up. its a good thing the whole football mania is now over too, so all the little students can return to their good old homework and to school without the drowsy appearance. that well includes me :) as for the upcoming EPL, hmm... not much of a temptation though. hah.

thanks to the whole cup, i now hereby declare saturdays and sundays - compulsory gym days!

DreamOn@DXO

support the people @ Dream On today! click here for more details.
cause dreams dont need reasons to live.

happy days

the long daily bus journeys to and fro school and home would usually provide a good time for me to doing some reading or simply, reflect on the week's activities. i've been pondering over certain issues that have been rather worrying and saddening to me. however thru them i've come realised the value of life. for instance, how life is only lived once and theres no turning back when something has passed. thus, its really a waste to be all caught up being sad and depressed over matters that instead only time can resolve rather than focusing on brighter thoughts. i guess being happy would very much first require us to learn to accept different people, for no one can be perfectly how we want them to be, looking on the bright side of life and taking negative situations as learning experiences to constructive use in the future. afterall, the choice lies with us if we want everyday to be HAPPY day isnt it? :)

1-0

its half time with having France in the lead. lets hope it stays this way =)

forbidden city!

at last, something i've been waiting for.

weekday tics going for - S$30, S$50, S$70, S$80, S$110, S$140

click here for further details

interested, do drop me a message =)

stressss

school hasnt been going very well lately. though tests and projects arent bad enough, you get 'teachers' who make things extremely difficult for you in every possible way and just make you feel very much wanting to kill them. believe me when i say you have not seen worst >.< nonetheless, i pray that God will grant me the tolerance, patience and courage to overcome such obstacles.

decided to go back to reading after browsing through a book at lifebookshop last week and found this book rather inspirational. A Table in the Presence, that accounts of how a U.S marine battalion experienced God's presence amidst the chaos of the war in iraq. well, i hope i do find some inspiration in it for myself. :)